Verizon will finish 4G LTE deployment by mid-2013

Verizon Wireless originally estimated that it would complete its 4G LTE network buildout by the end of 2013, but CFO Fran Shammo said at an investor conference today that the carrier now believes its network will be complete months ahead of schedule. According to Fierce Wireless, Shammo said that Verizon's 4G network will match its current 3G footprint by the middle of next year. The carrier has moved to rapidly deploy LTE since mid-2011, and it now aims to deliver 4G service to a footprint that would cover at least 260 million people by the end of this year.

By comparison, AT&T announced yesterday that it would invest $8 billion in order to reach 250 million people by the end of 2013, putting Verizon a year ahead of its biggest rival. Verizon currently serves more than 400 LTE markets, which account for more than 35 percent of all data traffic on its network. Shammo says that LTE adoption rates will increase as customers upgrade to new phones and are switched over to its Share Everything plans, and the company has enough spectrum to deliver a fast, reliable network to the growing number of customers.